Essentially all machines having internal combustion engines require some type of cooling system. Cooling systems range from simple air fins on the engine providing extra surface area for exchanging heat with ambient air to relatively sophisticated systems with multiple radiators, each having a separate fluid circuit for coolant fluid or oil. Many machines utilize an air cooling system to blow or draw cooling air over engine components and associated radiators, oil coolers, etc., then exhaust the cooling air back to ambient. Of particular note are relatively heavy-duty machines such as construction machines, which often have several machine subsystems which must be cooled for proper operation. Paving machines, for example, often include an engine system, a hydraulic system and an engine air intake system, each of which may include a heat exchanger cooled via ambient air drawn or blown inside a body of the machine, then exhausted after exchanging heat with one or more of the heat exchangers.
One common design for a paving machine cooling system utilizes a fan which is positioned within an engine compartment of the machine and draws cooling air into the engine compartment from a lateral side of the machine. The cooling air passes across and/or through engine components and heat exchange surfaces of one or more heat exchangers, then is exhausted through the opposite lateral side of the machine. In general, this cooling system strategy has worked well. However, there are certain aspects which might be improved upon.
On the one hand, in many paving systems workers are commonly stationed alongside the machine, or need to move along the lateral sides of the machine as work progresses. Exhausting hot air laterally of the machine can affect the comfort of the working environment. In addition, certain paving machines utilize devices positioned at lateral sides of the machine which are susceptible to damage or aberrant operation if they become too hot. Certain sensors, such as sonic locating sensors used during paving a mat of paving material also rely upon relatively consistent and/or predictable properties of air for proper operation. Where these sensors encounter either relatively high temperatures, or wide variations in temperature, they may not function optimally.
The present disclosure is directed to one or more of the problems or shortcomings set forth above.